October 4: Mental Health First Aid Training for Coffee Professionals

Adult Mental Health First Aid class

This Nationally-certified, experiential training focuses on demystifying signs and symptoms of mental health issues, and offers a simple 5-step plan to help anyone experiencing a mental health problem. Much like other first aid courses you might have taken, Mental Health First Aid does not teach high-level medical skills.

Instead, this training focuses on basic skills anyonecan use to keep someone experiencing a crisis (or living with a longer-term illness) safe and comfortable until they can get connected to the best ongoing help.

You learn by getting involved with the material and relating what you learn to real-life applications. Discussion topics, exercises, and other activities keep you engaged in the course and give you an opportunity to practice helping skills.

Trainer Bios

Cat Willett has taught over 30 Youth and Adult Mental Health First Aid courses since 2016. In addition to having a dual Masters in Social Work and Social Justice, Cat has lived experience that drives her commitment to community mental health education. She has also been working in the Restorative Practices field for almost a decade and has worked in the nonprofit sector for over fifteen years. When she isn’t providing trainings, Cat can be found in the nearest library or spin class.

Ivan S. Villasenor Madriz is a relatively new addition to the Experience Hope team at Catholic Charities of the East Bay starting his current role as Restorative Practices Coordinator and Project AWARE Instructor on June of 2017. Ivan is originally from Mexico and migrated to California’s Central Coast in 2005. He relocated to the Bay Area to attend school and received a Bachelor of Arts in Peace and Conflict from the University of California, Berkeley. Outside of work, Ivan finds an odd balance between advocacy work, hiking, and finding new podcasts (suggestions always welcome).

FAQs

What is the capacity for the event?30 people with two instructors

Is this only for coffee professionals?Yes. This specific course is being limited to coffee professionals in the Bay Area. If you are not a coffee professional and are interested in taking the class, you can check out the courses by you and sign up.

How is this useful for coffee professionals?Much like physical first aid courses, the Mental Health First Aid course is helpful for anyone who would like to learn more about mental illnesses, signs of breakdowns, and de-escalation techniques. Managers and baristas will especially find it useful, as some of these situations happen in retail environments.

What is the cost?
It is $73 per person or $65 at early bird pricing. The course is a flat fee. We divided the fee up by the maximum number of attendees. BACC is not taking any profits from the course. For businesses, this could be considered a professional education expense.